Η ψυχολογία της συσκευασίας, μέρος ΙΙΙ

Σε αυτήν την τελική έκδοση της σειράς συσκευασίας μας πρόκειται να εξετάσουμε λίγο περισσότερες εμπορικές στρατηγικές όπου τι βλέπετε στη εξωτερική όψη δεν είναι απαραιτήτως αυτό που παίρνετε στο εσωτερικό.

Όταν σκέφτεστε για το, μερικές από τις πιό ενδιαφέρουσες συσκευασίες είναι εκείνες που είναι πραγματικά μέρος το ίδιο του προϊόντος.

Πάρτε τα αποσμητικά.

Υπάρχει ένα in particular που είναι τόσο φανταχτερό κοίταγμα εσείς πρέπει να αναρωτηθεί εάν τι είναι το εσωτερικό όχι μόνο πρόκειται να σας κρατήσει από τη δυσοδία όπως έναν χοίρο αλλά και να θεραπεύσει τη φαλάκρα σας και να σκάσει μια μεγαλοφυία από ένα μπουκάλι. Αναφέρομαι στο άκρο Caix. Η ΚΑΠ είναι καλή μιας μορφής θόλων που μοιάζει με κάτι από «την ημέρα η γη που στέκεται ακόμα», η εγγραφή το ίδιο στο μπουκάλι είναι δύσκολο να περιγραφθεί αλλά εμφανίζεται να είναι ένας συνδυασμός κινούμενων σχεδίων και πηγής νησιών νότιας θάλασσας, και τα χρώματα είναι μπλε και ρόδινα σε ένα καφετί μπουκάλι. Πραγματικά φαίνεται περισσότερος όπως κάτι που θα χύνατε σε ένα γυαλί.

Κατόπιν υπάρχει το Caix για τα κορίτσια. Αυτό είναι ένα αρκετά ανοικτό μπλε χρώμα στο μπουκάλι με την εγγραφή που μοιάζει με κάτι από μια κούκλα Barbie εμπορική. Συν υπάρχουν μερικά μικρά λουλούδια που κολλιούνται στο μπουκάλι μετρούν οριστικά. Αυτό δεν είναι σίγουρα κάτι που θα βρίσκατε πάντα μια χρησιμοποίηση τύπων. Τουλάχιστον δεν θα σκεφτόσαστε έτσι.

Φυσικά έχετε πάρει επίσης τα φανταχτερά αποσμητικά σας όπως το Tommy Hilfiger. Σαφές μαύρο μπουκάλι με την άσπρη εγγραφή σχεδίων που τρέχει από πάνω προς τα κάτω αντί από το αριστερό σε σωστό και γαρμένος στο δικαίωμα. Σκέφτονται πιθανώς ότι αυτό το είδος συσκευασίας δανείζει έναν αέρα του μυστηρίου στο προϊόν τους. Πιθανότατα τι είναι το εσωτερικό δεν είναι πολύ διαφορετικό από το τοπικό εμπορικό σήμα καταστημάτων ιεροτελεστίας καταστημάτων σας.

Κατόπιν έχετε τα πραγματικά εξωτικά αποσμητικά σας όπως Heno Di Pravia. Το κίτρινο μπουκάλι έχει μια μορφή όχι πάρα πολύ διαφορετική από το voluptuous θηλυκό» s. It’s got a nice fancy lettering to it and a logo at the bottom that almost looks like a danger sign for radioactive waste. Thi s is one strange deodorant package.

And then you’ve got the deodorants that go to the absolute opposite end of the spectrum and as far away from commercial looking as possible. A perfect example of this is “The Self Health Resource Center” deodorant. The bottle is in the shape of a medicine prescription bottle and actually looks like a prescription drug with it’s straight laced lettering and formal instructions for use. This stuff better not only get you smelling good but cure your allergies besides. The funny thing about this deodorant is that there’s really no name to it. It just says Deodorant on the top of the label. The Health Resource Center is just who manufactures the deodorant. You’d at least think they’d give the thing a name.

Yes, deodorants have some very strange, exotic and downright puzzling packages that you never get to stop looking at because it’s part of the product itself. This has to further reinforce what you’re looking for the next time you run out to get your next supply. Packaging is an amazing psychological science and as long as we are able to understand what goes on inside the human brain there will always be packages to cater to that brain.

Now if only they’d make packages we could see through.

Oh wait! They already do.

About the Author

Michael Russell is the author of “Your Independent Guide to Packaging.” Read parts I and II of “The Psychology of Packaging” over the next few days!

The Psychology Of Packaging, Part II

Welcome to part two of our three part series entitled “The Psychology Of Packaging.”

In the first installment we focused on some of the products and their packaging and why they’re packaged in that manner. In this installment we’re going to focus on some other packaging schemes.

You’ll understand why these people are paid so much money to come up with this stuff after reading.

Let’s start off with candy bar wrappers.

Take a good look at these things, and there are plenty of them to choose from. Candy bars range from the pure milk chocolate type such as Hershey’s, and Nestles to the candies that are usually filled with something, like Milky Way, Three Musketeers, Mounds, Kit Kat, Reeses Peanut Butter Cups and so on. If you take a very good look at the packages they are VERY colorful. Butterfingers are a nice yellow package with blue lettering. Reeses are kind of a reddish orange package with yellow lettering. Nestles Crunch Bars are 3 colors of red, white and blue. Guess there’s something patriotic going on there. And then you open up these very pretty wrappers and take out this mono color, not very appealing looking hunk of chocolate. The candy never looks as good as the wrapper. Reeses Peanut Butter Cups actually look like light colored mud you’d find out in the street. But boy, that pretty wrapper. Yes, candy bar manufacturers really earn their money from the packaging department with these gems.

So we don’t get too hungry, let’s move on to a different kind of packaging.

Copy paper.

If you think wrapping up dull looking candy bars in all this colorful fluff is interesting just take a look at the boxes and packages that copy paper comes in. I mean, have you EVER seen the package that Georgia Pacific copy paper comes in? The wrapper is brown on top, blue on the side and white covering the remainder except for a photo of a woman working in an office. Oh and underneath in big numbers is the number of sheets in the package, brightness and weight of the paper. I guess they don’t want us to miss these important specs. This is some of the most beautiful packaging you’ll ever see and then you open up this gorgeous package and inside is nothing but white paper. Since this is something that we buy because we need it and for no other reason, did they really think that if they just put the paper in a plain brown wrapper that we wouldn’t buy it? Amazing.

Now Xerox, is a little different. See, they are a very big name in the copy business so their packaging is much plainer, usually one color. What is prominent about the package is the name, XEROX, right up there in big bold letters. It seems that’s all anybody needs to see and they’re sold. After all, if it’s Xerox it has to be the best.

In the final installment of packaging we’ll cover some packages that you’re sure to find very interesting, including some very unusual packaging.

About the Author

Michael Russell is the author of “Your Independent Guide to Packaging.” Read parts I and III of “The Psychology of Packaging” over the next few days!

The Psychology Of Packaging, Part I

Packaging. It’s something we really don’t think much about. We don’t really buy things for the packaging. We buy them because we need or want what’s inside.

Or do we?

Studies have been made on the psychology of packaging and how it effects buying behavior. The truth is we are very greatly affected by how a package looks. In this article we’ll cover some examples of packaging power.

Let’s start with cereal boxes.

Take a good look at a cereal box of a cereal brand aimed at children. Perfect examples of these are Cap’n Crunch, Count Chocula, Sugar Smacks, Cocoa Krispies, Frosted Flakes and Trix. Every single one of these cereals has a picture of a cartoon type character that would appeal to children. Some of the most famous characters in history, let alone food history are from these boxes, names like Tony The Tiger, The Trix Rabbit and old Cap’n Crunch himself. These characters have become icons of the cereal industry.

Then take a look at a cereal box of a cereal brand aimed at adults looking for good nutrition. Perfect examples of these are Wheaties, Just Right, Total, All Bran, Kashi, Puffed Wheat and Raisin Brand. These cereals will either feature a hearty looking bowl of nutritious flakes, maybe an athlete and in the case of the high fiber cereals, a picture of an elderly person or couple. All these visuals are done with the express purpose of making the consumer feel that what is in the box is healthy and good for them. The cereal itself may have little nutritional value but the image portrayed says “eat this, it’s good for you.”

Moving away from food and to toys, this is probably the most deceptive of all packaging ploys. In most cases, especially with action toys, the photo on the outside of the package has very little resemblance to the toy inside. GI Joe was a great example of this. On the box you would see army GI Joe in some brush, maybe in a fox hole. Bombs would be going off all around him. For the marines maybe they were shown landing on a beach. Some boxes showed whole towns in ruins. Then you open up the box and find a single lone soldier. No sand, no beach, no town. It’s amazing how toy manufacturers get away with this.

The next one is a favorite of an associate of mine. TV dinner packaging. Take a good look at a TV dinner, especially one that is basically meat and potatoes. The cover shows this sizzling meal of roast beef, mashed potatoes, peas and carrots or maybe corn, and a nice chocolate dessert. The portions look absolutely huge. You’re ready to open up your TV dinner thinking you’re about to get a really big and hearty meal and you find portions inside that wouldn’t feed your cat. There should at least be a warning on the package that says “not actual size of food inside.”

In future articles we’ll go over other types of deceptive packaging made for one purpose and one purpose only. To make sales.

About the Author

Michael Russell is the author of “Your Independent Guide to Packaging.” Read parts II and III of “The Psychology of Packaging” over the next few days!